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Making the Invisible Visible

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Making the Invisible Visible

How Companies Win with the Right Information, People and IT

Wiley,

15 min read
10 take-aways
Text available

What's inside?

You can boost your company by improving your information capability, you can even change how your employees use information, but first you have to change your own mind.

Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

Donald A. Marchand, William J. Kettinger and John D. Rollins, professors and consultants on information technology and management, explain how your company can improve its business performance using information orientation (IO). The authors present ways to improve corporate capabilities in information management, information technology and employee use of information. The authors draw from interviews with about 1,000 senior managers from more than 100 companies, representing two dozen countries and two dozen industries. The book uses case histories and examples from these interviews to support its central model, which is based on building, using and measuring these three information capabilities. The authors present innovative answers to the perpetual question of how to quantify subjective measures. The one shortcoming, beyond explanatory repetition, is the problem of sorting out programs with initials instead of names. Yet, getAbstract found this book quite solid, albeit academically written, and suggests it to all managers and executives involved with IT initiatives at large companies.

Summary

Information Orientation

To improve the performance of your business, you need to leverage information, people and information technology (IT) effectively. Together, these three information capabilities will give your business more speed, agility and responsiveness. Mustered properly, they can help you improve, replace or reduce the need for personnel, organizational structures or business processes. With superior use of these information capabilities, you can better integrate people, information and IT, resulting in greater profits and improved innovation.

In research interviews, 1,000 senior managers from 100 companies in 25 industries and 22 countries say that companies can achieve superior results by synchronizing the management of their people with information and IT.

Liechtenstein’s Hilti Corporation, which creates drills, fasteners and demolition systems for the construction industry, and Spain’s Banco Bilbao Vaizaya (BBV) demonstrate the value of leveraging information technology, personnel and information. For example, senior managers and employees at Hilti use their information network to communicate regularly with customers and then use customers’ ...

About the Authors

Donald A. Marchand is a professor of information management and strategy at the International Institute of Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland. William J. Kettinger is director of the Center of Information Management and Technology Research at the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina. John D. Rollins is the managing partner of Strategic Information Technology Effectives for Accenture.

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